Kingdom of Poland
The Kingdom of Poland (1025-1385) was the Polish state from the coronation of Boleslaw the Brave in 1025 to the union with Lithuania in 1385. History Background of Poland]] In 1080, the Kingdom of Poland was still a relative infant, but an infant that already appeared to boast a considerable grip on the lands around the capital of Krakow. The Polish people could attribute their rapid rise out of obscurity to the Drang nach Osten (Drive towards the East) of the Holy Roman Empire, which saw the Kaiser searching for allies to help crush the Polabian Slavs. After converting to Christianity, Boleslaw the Brave saw it as his right and duty to conquer neighboring lands, including thrusts as far east as Kiev, and even forays into Imperial lands. That last act of betrayal was a sign of recent times in Poland, with internal power struggles stalling the continued expansion of Polish borders. Fortunately for the Poles, the last King to rule with any true sense of stability, Kazimierz I, paved the way for granting fiefdoms to his warriors, establishing a tradition of feudalistic knighthood required to be a power in Europe today. ]]Only in 1080 was order truly being restored with Wladyslaw I Herman taking the throne with his brother being forced into exile. Siding with the Pope in his recent clashes with the Kaiser had helped establish Poland as a legitimate Catholic power, ensuring the Reich could no longer expand eastward with the blessing of Christendom. However, the lack of an immediate Imperial threat did not ensure that the Poles have an easy option to expand either. The Hungarian King Laszlo was simply too formidable and familiar with Polish ways to make moving southward a viable option, making securing the lands of the Baltic Sea the most appealing choice. Despite the fact it involves beating the Danes, the Russians and the Reich to the draw. If Poland was to maintain its new status as a genuine power, Wladyslaw had choose his next battle and enemy very carefully. Polish Expansion King Wladyslaw I Herman of Poland decided to pacify the rebellious German barons and the Livonians to the north, fighting in the name of Christianity. His first conquest was the castle of Thorn to the north, followed by campaigns in Pomerania and the Baltic states. He pacified the pagan Livonians, and spread Christendom's borders to the Baltics through the efforts of Cardinal Godzimir the Peaceful. Wladyslaw also cemented his place in Europe by forming an alliance with Novgorod and the Kaiser and forming trade agreements with the Byzantine Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. The Polish fought very bloody campaigns against the rebels, and the Poles were known to exterminate pagan populations to prevent pagan revolt. In 1084 they besieged Breslau in Silesia, capturing it from Szczepan (Stephan) and his rebel army of Germans. From 1088 to 1090 the castle of Thorn in Pomerania was besieged, and was taken in a similar manner. Czeslaw of Thorn was a pagan, and the Polish cardinal Godzimir was sent by the Pope to convert the Pomeranians to Catholicism. Meanwhile, the king's son Boleslaw Herman campaigned against the Livonians, taking the city of Riga in present-day Latvia in 1094 from the rebels of Msciwoi. The pagans were massacred in the small town by the Poles, as they were to resist if nothing was done. In 1104, King Wladyslaw captured Stettin from the German rebels and converted the pagans to Christianity. Two years later, he adopted Tobiasz of Slupsk and left him to manage Stettin as he continued campaigning against pagans. In 1112 Boleslaw ended Poland's chain of victories when he was repulsed in an attack on the Livonian pagans at Vilnius, but in 1126 Boleslaw took the city at long last. Teutonic Crusades In the 1200s, the Poles were negatively affected by the Mongol Empire's expansion into eastern Europe, and their army was decimated at the Battle of Liegnitz in 1241. However, at the same time they took the time to consolidate their domains by opening negotiations with the Mongols while they fought against the rebel Livonians and Polish rebels. Category:Nations Category:Kingdoms